Automatic firearm.



.No. 827,488. PATENTED JULY 31, 1906.

w. J. WHITING.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.19,1904. 3 sums-41mm? 1.

l fig WITNESSES INVENTOR' Zk'ZZL'm/z a ZzfzQ if N0- 827,488 PATENTED JULY 31, 1906.

w. J. WRITING. AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOR yzzzzmdwfi y. y I, I I

PATENTED JULY 31, 1906. W. J. WHITING.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM;

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-19, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ZflzZ/z'wz JZ/lzZz igy I 1:. aw/w dam .2 5 initial or rearward movement of the said UNITED. STATES:

PATENT OFFICE.-

v Specification of Letters Patent.

l'atented Jul 31,1906,

Applicatioiffiledseptember 19,1904. Serial No. 226,089.

To alt whom, it may concern:

' Bert known that I, WILLIAM JOHN WHIT- ING, director of company, a subject of the.

King of Great Britain, residing in Weaman street, Birmingham, England, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Au tomatic Firearms, ofwhic the following is a r ZSiiiIlOIl. Fig. 2 is a'longitudinailverticsilsec tion of the pi stol,'showing the breech slidezat the commencement of the forward move-- .ment after having cocked the hammer. in

specification.

- This invention has relation to :automatic pistols and other firearms of that type in which the sequence of operations involved in the firing of a shot and the reloading ofzthe arm-- viz., the unlockingv and opening ofithe breech after discharge, the extraction and ejection of the empty cartridge-shell, the cocking of the .hammer the insertion of a fresh cartridge I slide' from the magazine into the barrel-chamber, and the reclosing of the Ibreech -are performed automatically by the movements of a reci rocating or traversingbreech block or st in a backward direction'nnder the influence'of the recoil energy developed by tion is to provide 13 the discharge of a cartridge and then in a forward direction under the influence of a return-spring which is rendered active by the block.

The principal ob'ect of the present invendrearms of :thistype with novel and simple, .but eifective, :means for positively indicating when "the magazine is empty or when the last cartridge has been fedup from the magazine into the barrel and fired, and this object it is proposed :to attain by special mechanism which automatically locks the breech-block or breech-slide in its open position or at the end -.of its rearward movement on the same being driven back by the recoil energy developed bythe discharge of the said last cartridge.

According'to the said invention the ham- 1 mer of the arm is utilized asacatchor fasten- .ingfor engaging .and automatically vholding the breech-sllde in its 0 en position when the magazine is empty, an in order to admit of in this manner the .spr1ng-actuated plat orm' or follower, by

the hammer operatin which the cartridges are fed up one by one into the barrel, is so arranged that on'the discharge of the last cartridge it will engage with the sear of the lock or firing mechanism in such a way as to prevent the said sear from returning into bent with the hammer, which is thus free to be placed by the mainspring in a position in which it will engage with the breech-slide when at the end of its rearward position.

movement and lock or retain same inits open; I

.Figure 1 of the accompanying drawingsrepresentsa side elevation of apartofanauztomatlc plstol constructed and arran ed in accordance with this invention wit "the breech-block or breech-slide in -its closedpoclosed and showing the relative positions of the parts when only one cartridge remains in themagazine. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the pistol to that re resented in 3; but it shows the breec' slide in the act of being driven backward under recoil energy from the discharge .and also inthe actof cooking 'the hammer, while the last cartridge within the magazine is shown raised into the posltion in which it will 'be pushed fromthe said magazine into the chamber of the barrel when the breech-slide makes its forward or return movement. Fig. 5 shows the pistol with the parts in the positions which they assume after the last cartridge has been dis' charged-that is, with the breech-slide automatically held or retained in its open position by the hammer of the lock mechanism. Flg.

6 is a view of the-lock mechanism and safety device for holding the hammerat full-cock.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures of the drawings.

The automatic magazine-pistol represented in the said drawings has a reciprocating breech-slide a, which works within the rear part of a fixed and channel-sectioned frame or body I) and is locked when closed to 'a stationary barrel 0 or to a barrel which has only a limited movement within the said frame by means of a bolt or fastening device, such as d,

which, however, forms no part ofthe present invention and need not, therefore, be further described. The gripor handle (1, on which the frame or bodypart is mounted, is made to serve as the receptacle for a detachable Ito magazine or cartridge-box e, which when in position extends upwardly through an opening or slot 12, formed in the bottom of the body and behind the chamber of the barrel, so that when the breech-slide is in its open or rearward position the uppermost cartridge is resented and held with the top of its rim in ine with a loading-rib or its equivalent on the under side of the e evated part a of the slide which carries the firing-pin and comes behind the barrel, so that on the said slide making its return movement the said cartrid e is pushed out of the magazine and into the arrel chamber.

The magazine is provided with a platform or follower 6', upon which the cartridges rest,

and which is acted upon or raised by means of 'a'spring e for the purpose of feeding the cartrid es up in succession into a position in line wit the loading-rib of the breech-slide at each rearward movement of the latter, and in order to admit of the-utilization of this spring- 'actuated platform or follower for blocking the sear of the lock mechanism after the discharge of the last cartridge it is provided with a tailpiece e carrying a tooth or extension h, which is directed through a slot or opening e, formed up the back wall of the magazine and (when the magazine is in position) extends into a corresponding roove or channel e cut on the opposed si e of the frame of the grip, so that the said tooth works or moves upward within the said roove as it rises with the platform or folower. The upper end of the channel in the frame leads into a recess or small chamber '21, formed in the upper part of the handle-frame and into which the tail of a rocking hammersear j depends.

The hammer is of the pistol,which is actuated by any suitable form of mainspring, such as lc is mounted and works upon a pivot 76*, disposed across the frame at a convenient point behind the handle or grip, while the sear 9', which is also provided with a suitable spring 1' and is located behind the handle, is separately pivoted, preferably upon a second pin 7' disposed in front of the hammer-pivot. The said sear is provided forward of its joint with a hanging tailpiece 7' which depends, as above mentioned, into a recess or chamber '21 in'the side of the handle-frame and is acted upon for dischar ing the pistol by means of a bar or limb W, W 'ch is pivoted at its forward end to a trigger 7c, located in front of the handle and extending across the inside .of the said handle-frame into the sear-tail chamber. The rearward part of the sear is formed with a nose-piece 7', adapted to engage with'the bent k of the. hammer and hold the latter at full-cock.

The cooking of the hammer is performed during the, backward movement of the breech-slide by the rearward end of the loading-rib on the under side of the latter striking against the head of the said hammer and forcing same backward, as represented in Fig. 4, until the sear nose is taken by its spring into en agement with the bent, as

represented in ig. 2g and thus thehammer isheld, but in such a position that it offers no' impediment to the free forward movement of a the breech-slide under the influence of its return-sprin after the recoil energy has expended itself.

The combined loading and cocking rib which is formed on the under side of the breech-slide and rides over the hammer during the rearward movementof the said slide terminates at some distance short of .the back end of the said slide in an incline m, leading up to the under side of the back portion of the slide, and thus the part which reciprocates over the hammer-head .is formed with two planes or surfaces 12/ n of which the forward surface 'n/'i. e., the under side of the loading and cocking ribis in a lower plane than the other and rearward surface a. To provide for the locking of the slide in its rearward or open position by meansof the hammer when the sear is held. out of bent, as hereinafter described, the head of the said hammer is formed with a transversetooth, notch, or shoulder 0, while the elevated rearward surface or plane on the under side of the breech-slide has a corresponding shoulder,

notch, or recess, cut across it, and when the hammer-sear is blocked and held out of action on the breech-slide, making its rearward traverse under the influence of the recoil energy from the discharge of the last cartridge, then as soon as the said slide reaches the end of the said movement the hammer is taken by the action of the mainspring into a position in which the tooth or notch at its head comes in front of or within the path of the shoulder on the elevated rear part of the under side of the slide, so that immediately the said slide commences to move forward on its return stroke the notches .or shoulders come into engagement, and thus the breechslide is held and locked in its open position, as represented in Fig. 5. Thus it .Will be understood that after the firing of each cartridge, with the exception of the last one, the sear acts normally and holds the cockedhammer in such a positionor at such an inclination (see Fig. 2) that its retaining-.notchis below and clear of the corresponding shoulder of the breechslide,which is thus-free to be moved forward and closed, but when the breech slide in being driven back by the recoil from the last discharge has moved clear of the magazine-platform (which comes against the under side of the loading and cocking ribon the last cartridge being fed into the barrel) then the said platform is raised by its spring to the top of the magazine, and this final movement causes the follower tooth or extension h to rise in front of the sear-tail, as repreanism which becomes operative only when the breech-slide is moved clear of the empty magazine a positive and unmistakable indication is afiorded of the fact that the'last c'artridge has been dischargedand that the pistol requires to be reloaded, and on the magazine being withdrawn from the handle for the purpose of. refilling the follower-tooth connected with the spring-actuated platform is removed from in front of the sear-tail and the sear is immediately restored by its spring to its' normal position for retaining the firing mechanism again at full-cock after the disengagement of the hammer from the slide, which is effected by drawing the latter back a short distance from its locked-open position, as this movement causes the hammer to move rearwardly bring its bent into engagement with the searnose, so that the sear will retain the hammer clear of the slide and admit of the same being taken back to its closed position by its returnsprmg.

In conjunction with the lock mechanism above described a safety-bolt g may be arranged consisting of a suitably-mounted slide having at its lower end an inward projection or lump g, which extends into the sear-tail chamber in the frame and is adapted when the slide is pushed up to come at the back of the sear-tail and so block the sear when in bent with the cockedhammer and hold the %ring mechanism at safe, as represented in The'application of the invention to other automatic or magazine firearms differs in no essential respect from its application to an automatic pistol, as herein described.

Having fully described my invention, what Idesire' to claim and secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A firearm havin a breech-slide adapted to be moved rearwar ly by recoil, a hammer, a mainspring anda sear for the hammer, a cartridge-magazine having a follower, means for actuating the follower to feed the cartridges'out of the magazine, and means actuated by the follower for throwing the sear out of operative relation with the hammer when fine magazine is empty, the mainspring serving when the sear'is out of operative relation with the hammer to move the latter into locking relation the breech-slide to prevent forward movement thereof.

to an extentrsui ficient to 2. A firearm having a breech-slide adapted to be moved rearwardly by recoil, a hammer, a mainspring and a searfor the hammer, a cartridge-magazine having a cartridge-supporting follower, spring means to elevate the follower to cause the feed of the cartridges, and means actuated. by the follower for throwing the sear out of operative relation with the hammer when the magazine is empty, the mainspring when the sear is out of operative relation with the hammer serving to move the latter into operative relation with the breech movement thereof.

3; A firearm having a breech-slide adapted to be moved rearwardly by recoil a hammer having aprojection, the breech-slide having a recess adapted to be entered by said projection, a mainspring and a sear for the ham mer, a cartridge-magazine having a cartrid esupporting follower, means for actuating t e follower to feed the cartrid esfrom the magazine, and means actuated y the follower for throwing the sear out of operative relation with the hammer when the magazine is empty, the mainspring when the sear is out of operative relation with the hammer serving to cause said projection to enter said recessto lock the breech-slide against forward movement.

4. A firearm having a breech-slide adapted to be moved rearwardly by recoil, a hammer,

the breech-slide having a hammer-cocking rib, a mainspring and a sear for the hammer, acartrid e-magazine having a cartridge-supporting follower, means for actuating the follower to feed cartridges from the magazine, and means actuatedby the follower for throwing the sear out of operative relation with the hammer when the magazine is empty, the mainspring when the sear is out of operative relation with the hammer serving to move the latter into operative relation slide to prevent forward with the breech-slide to prevent forward movement of the latter.

5. Afirearm having a breech-slide adapted to be moved rearwardly by recoil, a hammer, the breech-slide serving normally on its rearward movement to cook the hammer, a mainspring and a sear for the hammer, a cartridge-magazine having an upwardly-mow able spring actuated cartridge suplporting member, and means actuated byt e .said cartridge-supporting member for throwing the sear out of operative relation with the hammer when the magazine is empty, the mainspring when the sear is out of operative relation with the hammer serving to move the latter into operative relation with the breech-slide to prevent forward movement of the latter.

6. A firearm havin a breech-slide adapted to be moved rearwar 1y by recoil, a hammer, a mainspring and a sear/for the'hammer,a cartridge-magazine having a cartridge-sup porting follower, means for actuating the movable .toengage the sear andto hold it out follower tofeed cartridges from the magazine, of operative relation'withthehammer.

means actuated by the follower for throwing In testimony whereof I have hereunto set the sear out of operative relation with the my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 5 hammer when the magazine is empty, the nesses. r5

mains'pring when the sear is outof operative WILLIAM JOHN WHITING. relation with said hammer serving to move the hammerinto operative relation with the Witnesses: breech-slide to prevent forward motion of HENRY SKERRETT,

1c the latter, and .a hand-operable safety-bolt HENRY NORTON S ERRETT. 

